The Other Meatball

A great alternative to the typical spaghetti and meatballs...these chicken meatballs are sure to please! It starts with a simple tomato sauce (like the one below or the previously posted KooBoo Basic Tomato Sauce) and compliments just about any noodle. 

Simple Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion (Diced)
1 tsp. Salt
3 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
2 Bay Leaves
1 Fresh Basil Bunch (Chopped)
Pinch of Red Chili Flakes
2 28 oz. Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Salt and cracked pepper (To Taste)

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and salt and sauté until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, red chili flake and half of the basil. Sauté for 5 more minutes and flavors have had time to mingle. Add canned tomatoes and simmer sauce for 35-45 minutes. With a wooden spoon break up the tomatoes and add the remaining basil.

KooBoo Chicken Meatballs 

1 Small Red Onion (Finely Diced)
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 oz. Mushrooms (Finely Diced)
3 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
8 Parsley Sprigs (Finely Chopped)
2 Eggs
1 lb. Ground Chicken
¾ - 1 Cup of Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil/Vegetable Oil (For Frying)

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and salt and sauté until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes. Remove from stove and add cooked ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add parsley, eggs, chicken and bread crumbs. Mix well, and start forming your meatballs. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add your meatballs and brown on all sides. Then add meatballs to the Simple Tomato Sauce (above) and simmer for 30-35 minutes to allow the meatballs to absorb some of the tomato sauces flavors.

Add a side of garlic bread, top with parmesan cheese and serve!

Egg or No Egg

I've made my pasta both ways. I've used eggs and water for an egg substitution.  Both work well, but it depends on what texture you're going for.  I think adding eggs to the flour makes it a little easier to work with the dough when rolling it out.     Eggs give the dough more elasticity and also a nice yellow color, especially when using all-purpose flour.  I like using the eggs for fresh pasta or stuffed pasta.  I would recommend using water instead of eggs when drying pasta, unless you have an industrial oven.  I'm a little skeptical about leaving noodles made with eggs out on my drying rack for 24 hours.

Something to Sing About...

Here is a timer that must be one of the strangest things I've seen in a long time. It is called the Al Dente Operatic Pasta Timer. It is a pasta timer that sings opera at 7, 9, and 11 minutes. Yes kids it sings opera. A very strange little man but something that could possibly be entertaining for a party or family get together.

Al Dente Operatic Pasta Timer

Meaty "Meatless" Lasagna

I love vegetables as much as the next guy (or gal), but sometimes I am in the mood for a more "meaty" lasagna! This is the perfect recipe for those who do not eat beef or for those cooking for "picky" eaters.  It makes enough for a family of four or make it over the weekend and save in individual containers  for lunch (believe me...your coworkers will be jealous).

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion (Diced)
1 tsp. Salt
3 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
2 Bay Leaves

1 Fresh Basil Bunch (Chopped)

Pinch of Red Chili Flakes

6 oz. (approximately ½ bag) “Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles"

1 28 oz. Can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 tbsp. of Full Bodied Red Wine

6 Lasagna Noodles (Fresh is best)

24 oz. Low Fat Cottage Cheese

12-16 oz. Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Cracked Pepper (To Taste)

  

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat, add diced onion and salt and sauté until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, red chili flake and approximately half of the basil. Sauté for 5 more minutes, add the Morningstar Crumbles. Continue cooking until crumbles have thawed and flavors have had time to "mingle". Add canned tomatoes and red wine and simmer sauce for 35-45 minutes. With a wooden spoon break up the tomatoes and add the remaining basil.

While sauce is simmering, boil a large pot of water for the lasagna noodles. Boil pasta until al dente, and then drain and cut in half (to fit in the 9x9 pan).

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Once noodles have cooled, add a bit of extra virgin olive oil to the bottom of your 9x9 pan to prevent sticking. Next with a slotted spoon, spoon a thin layer of your meaty "meatless" sauce. Then layer noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese (repeat until close to the top of the pan). Make sure there is enough room for a final layer of sauce and cheese blend over the last of the noodles. Cover with foil and slide into oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cheese on top is melted. Remove foil and let brown (unless the family is really hungry!).

Enjoy!

Automatic vs Manual

Which is better?  Automatic or manual.  I should have gone back to when I was learning to drive.  I could never drive a stick shift, why would I think I could use a manual pasta-machine?  As cute as I think I am cranking away on my manual pasta maker...it sure is alot of work!  Who knew you needed a whole team of people to help?  Which is actually how I felt when I tried to drive a stick shift...I needed someone else to shift the gears while I steered.  

When I first got my hand-crank machine, I felt so sophisticated and serious.  Which is actually the feeling I wanted!   I wanted to get intimate with my pasta...which I did.   I was covered in flour, dough in my nails, and I had egg up to my elbows trying not to disturb the well I created.  I had to reball the dough when the strands got too long for me to handle.  I wasted perfectly good pasta makings when I couldn't feed the fettucine cutter on track with one hand.

I didn't realize the output of pasta you could obtain from batch of dough ...until I went to my parent's house for the holidays.  Man, what a difference!  My mother had a KitchenAid pasta attatchment.  It mixed the dough in the bowl while all I had to do was pour in the ingredients.  I didn't lose any flour on the counter from doing like I did when I did it by hand.  Both of my hands were free to feed, or steer, if you will, the dough into the fettucine cutters.  The automatic pasta maker was so easy to use and handle.  It made me feel like a professional!  Although, my hand-crank machine is not that efficient, it is fun and I can always use it for making pasta for a romantic dinner at home.

Pasta is for the Birds...

Check this out!! Natural bird food made with pasta.


Polly Pasta


This bird food has 4 different enriched pasta shapes, it is made mainly for exotic birds and is based in Alabama. Proceeds from purchases go towards helping neglected and unwanted exotic birds. This is truly a new way to use your pasta.

Seriously Nuts about this Sauce!

I attempted a new sauce last night with penne pasta and was pleasantly suprised by the results. Note that the sauce is pretty rich so a little bit goes a long way. I found that tossing the cooked pasta in the sauce rather than pouring the sauce on top of the pasta was a better way to go. I believe this sauce would also be great on goat cheese ravioli...maybe next time!

KooBoo Creamy Garlic Walnut Sauce

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 c. Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/2 c. Finely Chopped Green Onions
1 Tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 c. White Wine
1 1/2 c. Heavy Cream
1/4 c. Chopped Fresh Basil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 c. Shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350, place walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes (when you open the oven door you should be able to smell the walnuts). Remove walnuts and place aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute onions and garlic for 1 minute. Slowly add the wine and cream to the oil. Stir occcasionally for 5 minutes until sauce has thickened. Add basil, walnuts, salt, and pepper and continue stirring for about 2 mintues. Toss your cooked pasta in the sauce and top with parmesan. Serve immediatly.

- Mac, The Saucy One